Delineatio Regionis Bassora…

“A description of Basra with villages, rivers, and islands, by the Christian St. John, who resided there.”

This fascinating 17th-century view, unusually oriented with north to the left, is centered on the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Iraq. The fortified city of Basra can be seen on the far right, with both crescents and crosses topping the spires and minarets within. Several other settlements are labeled throughout the image, including a Carmelite monastery immediately outside the walls. The title cartouche is surrounded by a shepherd, a mother collecting water from a fountain, and several figures wearing turbans.

The view was designed by Olfert Dapper and published in 1680 by Johannes van Meurs as part of Naukeurige beschryving van Asie. About a decade prior to publication, the area had been absorbed into the Ottoman Empire.

Source: Harvard Libraries;